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Royals sign three players to Minor League deals

Royals sign three players to Minor League deals

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Wade's strong relief 1:12

5/30/12: Cory Wade strikes out three of the four batters he sees, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief

By Dick Kaegel
/
MLB.com |

KANSAS CITY -- Right-hander Cory Wade, who has postseason experience with the Dodgers and Yankees, is among three players signed by the Royals to Minor League contracts, the club announced on Saturday.

The others are infielder Brian Bocock and outfielder Johermyn Chavez.

Wade, 30, was in the 2008 National League Division and Championship Series with the Dodgers, making seven relief appearances, and in the 2011 American League Division Series with the Yankees, pitching in one game. He spent parts of four seasons in the Majors and his best was 2011, when he went 6-1 with a 2.04 ERA in 40 relief outings for the Yankees.

This year Wade pitched in Triple-A for three different organizations -- Cubs, Rays and Mets -- compiling a 4-4 record and 3.86 ERA in 42 games (five starts).

Bocock, 28, was the Giants' Opening Day shortstop in 2008 as a rookie but played just 32 games before being optioned to Triple-A Fresno with a .143 average. He also played six games for the Phillies in 2010 but has spent most of his career in the Minors. Last season was split between Triple-A Syracuse (Nationals' affiliate) and Triple-A Indianapolis (Pirates' affiliate) and he hit .175 in 53 games.

Chavez, 24, struggled at the plate last season for the Cubs' Double-A club at Tennessee, hitting .206 in 24 games. So the strong-armed outfielder was tried as a pitcher and worked in five games in Rookie Arizona League, going 1-1 with an 8.53 ERA. In 2010, he had a big season for the Mariners' Class A club at High Desert with 32 homers, 96 RBIs and a .315 average.

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.